1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention discloses mining operations for indoor and outdoor entertainment purposes. In one embodiment, the sluicing operation is transportable and can be easily moved from one location to another. In another embodiment, the mining operation is an artificial river bed with a filtration system.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Mining for gold and gemstones has been a part of the American frontier tradition for more than a century. Theme parks and roadside tourist attractions have incorporated the wild west tradition into their attractions for years, frequently with customer interactive mining.
Mining operations for theme parks can be expensive to build and maintain, especially in view of EPA standards for waste water disposal and sedimentation. This is especially true for the small parks which may not have the funds to build an entire mining operation for customers. State Fairs or other temporary operations have no opportunity to bring this attraction to their customers due to the prior permanency of the operation.
A typical prior art operation would consist of an ore storage area, a sluicing area and an ore holding area. Ore from the storage area is manually placed into bags into which gold or gemstones are placed. The bags are sold at a "store" to customers who then mine for the gold. The ore is washed from the sluicing area to the ore holding area. After customer hours, the ore is shoveled from the holding area and either transported back to the storage area or placed in bags and transported to the store. A measured amount of gemstones must be manually measured and hidden in each bag. The labor required in this type of operation is extensive. The prior art operations also present the problem of water disposal. If water is not recycled it must be disposed of according to EPA regulations. This involves costly transportation and processing. Some fairs, such as the Mid-State Fair in Orlando, Fla. have banned the prior art mining operations due to the problems associated with the water disposal.
The pre-done bags of ore purchased off the shelf gives the customer a feeling of little or no control over their possibilities of obtaining a "good bag". In many instances they are correct in that the owners can, to some extent, control who receives the more valuable bags. Additionally, individually filled bags leaves the gold and/or gemstones accessible to employees, allowing for a greater possibility of theft.
The instant invention overcomes the foregoing problems by disclosing a self-contained, cost effective, automated mining operation. Unlike prior art mining operations, the instant invention does not contaminate the water used in the mining operation. It is for this reason that the Mid-State Fair in Orlando, Fla., only allows the instant invention at the Fair while preventing the attendance of other mining operations.